Over 823 women fall victim to violence in six months

Source: Dawn

Date: January 11, 2011

KARACHI, Jan 10: More than 823 women fell victim to violence in 712 incidents, including custodial ones, in Sindh during the last six months â€"â€" from July to December 2010 — says a report prepared by the Aurat Foundation, a non-governmental organisation.

The report launched here on Monday says that the people`s confidence in the police had declined so much that of these over 712 incidents, FIRs of only 341 were registered. Over 320 incidents were not reported to the police, while the status of the remaining over 51 incidents regarding the registration or non-registration of FIRs was not known.

The report says that though the Sindh High Court had declared the holding of jirgas as illegal, at least 24 jirgas were held in which at least eight women were handed over from one party to the other party in the dispute to settle old enmity etc.

The report said that 119 incidents of karo-kari (honour killing) occurred in which 137 people â€"â€" 98 women and 39 men â€"â€" were killed. In at least one instance, four persons were killed in a single incident. In 34 incidents the police took 105 women into custody when male members of their family, wanted by the police, could not be traced.

Some 159 women were killed in 148 incidents owing to domestic disputes, old enmity, matrimonial disputes, and resisting robbery attempt. It said 109 women were kidnapped, while 66 women, including young girls, were sexually assaulted in 62 incidents. Of them 44 women were raped and 22 gang-raped in 43 and 19 incidents of rape and gang-rape, respectively.

The report said that 61 women committed suicide and 30 others tried to take their own lives owing to poverty and domestic disputes. As many as 99 women were injured in domestic violence. More than 420 women victims were married while 141 were unmarried while the marital status of the rest of the victims could not be ascertained, says the report the Aurat Foundation staff prepared with the help of news items published in nine newspapers â€"â€" three each published in English, Sindhi and Urdu.

speaking at the launch of the report, MPA Marvi Rashdi of the PML-F said that while new and more specific laws with stringent punishments to counter violence against women were always required, there already existed sufficient laws on the statute books but the real problem was the non-implementation of those laws. She said that since the implementation of laws was not efficient, everybody suffered, and women being the most vulnerable section of society suffered more.

She also criticised the attitude of the police owing to which people did not go to the law enforcers to get their incidents recorded, and said that even this report showed that of the 712 incidents, only 341 were reported to the police and the FIRs were registered, while the rest of these had not even been reported to the police. She demanded that police personnel be sensitised to issues relating to women.

For more details: http://www.dawn.com/2011/01/11/over-823-women-fall-victim-to-violence-in-six-months.html

 

Violence against children rises by 9.2%: SPARC data

Source: Express Tribune

Date: January 10, 2011

KARACHI: Violence against children increased by 9.2 per cent in Sindh, according to the data collected by the Society for the Protection of the Rights of the Child (Sparc), an NGO working for children’s rights in Pakistan.

The figures released by the NGO show that in 2010, a total of 2,689 children were subjected to various forms of violence in just Sindh.

Sohail Abro, Sparc provincial manager, believes that the poor prosecution system in Pakistan has a major role to play in this increase. “The perpetrators never get punished and they manage to escape using the loopholes in the law,” he said. He pointed out that except for the legislation on child rights in Khyber-Pukhtunkhwa — the Child Protection and Welfare Act, 2010 — no concrete steps were taken towards children’s rights in Sindh, or the rest of the country for that matter.

These figures reflect only those incidents or cases that have been reported in newspapers and other sources of media. The actual number of cases, the NGO says, is likely to be almost two to three times higher.

At least 233 children were murdered in different crimes, including the flurry of violence caused by political and religious disturbances. Sixty-eight children were tortured by non-state actors, four were burnt to death and 12 were victims of acid attacks.

In addition to 97 cases of polio diagnosed last year, 47 children lost their lives while being treated in public health settings. Most of the deaths were caused by alleged negligence of doctors or because of a shortage of medicines.

The unmanageable traffic in the province claimed the lives of 148 children and injured 57. Added to the man-made disasters, the flood and its aftermath brought diseases such as diarrhoea, gastroenteritis, malaria and other water-borne illnesses, which claimed the lives of 127 children living in relief camps across the province. Meanwhile, according to UN estimates, 3.5 million children were at risk of water-borne diseases.

Another crime on the rise in 2010 was kidnapping — 212 children were kidnapped and most of them were subjected to brutal forms of violence during their abduction. Children from minority communities were the most vulnerable in these kidnapping for ransom cases.

For more details: http://tribune.com.pk/story/101513/violence-against-children-rises-by-9-2-sparc-data/

 

 

Shape of things to come

Source: Dawn

Date: January 09, 2011

IF the murder of Salman Taseer is an omen to go by, our minorities are increasingly being left

defenceless. What now for religious freedom and human rights?

The shape the debate over the blasphemy laws it is taking is extremely worrying. Rather than a genuine effort to consider what is in the best interests of Pakistanis, we are seeing the emergence of an increasingly united and hostile religious bloc. The acrimonious tone adopted by opponents of reform in parliament is simply being replicated at the community level.

Protests against the possibility of amendments were staged across Pakistan on New Year’s Eve, despite the fact that just the day before the State Minister for Information Samsam Bokhari gave assurances that the government had no intention of amending the blasphemy laws. In a clear attempt by the government to appease angry opponents, Mr Bokhari stated that PPP member Sherry Rehman had acted in her personal capacity when submitting her bill proposing amendments to the blasphemy laws.

The bill seeks to scrap the mandatory death sentence for blasphemy. Although the country’s religious minorities and other sections of society have been hankering after changes to these laws for years, they continue to be met with condemnation by Islamic parties and organisations. The government, meanwhile, does not appear to be strong enough to face the rising pressure.

The PPP is the country’s largest party, and it claims to espouse liberal values. It is therefore all the more regrettable that the government has chosen to distance itself from Ms Rehman’s bill and the brave efforts made by Mr Taseer prior to his assassination.

The government appears to have already accepted defeat. This is an alarming prospect for those still clinging to a semblance of hope that this government would bring about changes for improving the lot of minorities and, indeed, all Pakistanis.

With the assassination of Mr Taseer, it seems that now there really is no hope that the laws will be amended. Their misuse will go on and minorities in particular will continue to find themselves subjected to false allegations by people who know they have an easy way to seize properties, take over businesses and settle personal scores.

Cases abound where blasphemy charges have been levelled against people without presenting any concrete evidence. I was particularly worried by a recent case because of the danger it could signal — not just for minorities but for all Pakistanis, including Muslims.

Dr Naushad Valiyani was arrested for blasphemy in December after he discarded a business card he had received from a medical representative. This medical representative’s full name, Muhammad Faizan, was printed on the card; hard as it is to believe, for this reason Mr Faizan deemed the act of throwing the card into the bin blasphemous.

How many people in Pakistan have Muhammad either as their first or last names? Every day, these people receive letters addressed to them and these
envelopes are torn up and thrown away. Are we to charge all of them with blasphemy? According to the way the laws are worded, that is exactly what they are committing.

Article 295-C of the Pakistan Penal Code states that the “use of derogatory remarks etc in respect of the Holy Prophet (PBUH)” is a crime and “whoever by words, either spoken or written, or by visible representation, or by any imputation, innuendo, or insinuation, directly defiles the sacred name of the Holy
Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) shall be punished with death, or imprisonment for life and shall also be liable for a fine”. Note that the law says nothing about “will” or “intention”, paving the way for a legal climate in which an offence committed unintentionally carries the same consequence as one committed
intentionally.

Had a local cleric not got involved, Dr Valiyani may have faced execution. And if his case is a precursor of things to come, we can expect to see people
increasingly using the blasphemy laws for their own convenience: to get ahead in their business, put down rivals and even defeat political opponents and settle
government disputes.

For more details: http://www.dawn.com/2011/01/09/shape-of-things-to-come.html

 

 

Allocations for education, health sectors low: report

Source: Dawn

Date: January 7, 2011

ISLAMABAD, Jan 6: Annual allocations for education and health sectors are alarmingly low, causing a serious setback to government’s efforts to achieve the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), a report published by the ministry of finance said on Thursday.

Although tracking of indicators in the education sector reflects an overall increase in gross and net enrolment rates both at pre-secondary and secondary levels, there is need to enhance budgetary allocations generally for social sectors and particularly for health and education sectors in the country, according to the report.

Education and health sectors represent core elements of the Poverty Reduction Strategy of the government, and the annual progress report of the Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper for fiscal year 2009-10 estimates that actual expenditure in education stood at 1.87 per cent of GDP against the projection of 1.82 for 2009-10.

Although the expenditure in education as a percentage of GDP is above the target by 0.05 per cent, improvement is badly needed. Health sector fared better than education in its ratio of actual expenditure to GDP which is .37 per cent higher than PRSP target of .43 per cent of GDP.

Law and order has appeared as the third largest sector contributing to PRSP expenditures with an increase of 2.03 per cent during the current fiscal year over the previous year.

The report says that the overall budget allocated for pro-poor sectors during 2009-10 stood at Rs1,183,771 million. Shares of different sectors in total budgetary allocations for 2009-10 depict education holding the maximum share followed by subsidies, roads, highways and bridges and agriculture. Combined these four sectors account for 61.2 per cent of the total PRSP budgetary allocation for 2009-10.

Education, though contributes the maximum during 2009-10, its share has decreased slightly over the two years. A substantial reduction in the share of subsidies in total PRSP budgetary allocations in two years has been witnessed, amounting to 14.47 per cent point. Share of Agriculture to PRSP budgetary allocations decreased over the two years – .89 percent points.

Share of roads highways and bridges increased from 7.02 per cent during 2008-09 to 11.41 per cent during the current fiscal year. Health also gained in proportional contribution to PRSP budgetary allocation, from 7.05 per cent in FY 2008-09 to 9.36 per cent in 2009-10. Social Security and welfare holds 7.44 per cent during FY 2009-10, which is 2.24 per cent higher than the previous fiscal year. A major chunk of budget for social security and welfare is contributed by Benazir Income Support Programme, nearly 80 per cent of the budget for this sector.

At the aggregate level, PRSP expenditures deviated downward by 4.77 per cent as compared to original budgetary allocations which indicate under-utilisation of budgetary allocations.

The report says that abnormal spending has been observed in Peoples’ Works Programme.

Link: http://www.dawn.com/2011/01/07/allocations-for-education-health-sectors-low-report.html

Allocations for education, health sectors low: report

Source: Dawn

Date: January 7, 2011

ISLAMABAD, Jan 6: Annual allocations for education and health sectors are alarmingly low, causing a serious setback to government’s efforts to achieve the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), a report published by the ministry of finance said on Thursday.

Although tracking of indicators in the education sector reflects an overall increase in gross and net enrolment rates both at pre-secondary and secondary levels, there is need to enhance budgetary allocations generally for social sectors and particularly for health and education sectors in the country, according to the report.

Education and health sectors represent core elements of the Poverty Reduction Strategy of the government, and the annual progress report of the Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper for fiscal year 2009-10 estimates that actual expenditure in education stood at 1.87 per cent of GDP against the projection of 1.82 for 2009-10.

Although the expenditure in education as a percentage of GDP is above the target by 0.05 per cent, improvement is badly needed. Health sector fared better than education in its ratio of actual expenditure to GDP which is .37 per cent higher than PRSP target of .43 per cent of GDP.

Law and order has appeared as the third largest sector contributing to PRSP expenditures with an increase of 2.03 per cent during the current fiscal year over the previous year.

The report says that the overall budget allocated for pro-poor sectors during 2009-10 stood at Rs1,183,771 million. Shares of different sectors in total budgetary allocations for 2009-10 depict education holding the maximum share followed by subsidies, roads, highways and bridges and agriculture. Combined these four sectors account for 61.2 per cent of the total PRSP budgetary allocation for 2009-10.

Education, though contributes the maximum during 2009-10, its share has decreased slightly over the two years. A substantial reduction in the share of subsidies in total PRSP budgetary allocations in two years has been witnessed, amounting to 14.47 per cent point. Share of Agriculture to PRSP budgetary allocations decreased over the two years – .89 percent points.

Share of roads highways and bridges increased from 7.02 per cent during 2008-09 to 11.41 per cent during the current fiscal year. Health also gained in proportional contribution to PRSP budgetary allocation, from 7.05 per cent in FY 2008-09 to 9.36 per cent in 2009-10. Social Security and welfare holds 7.44 per cent during FY 2009-10, which is 2.24 per cent higher than the previous fiscal year. A major chunk of budget for social security and welfare is contributed by Benazir Income Support Programme, nearly 80 per cent of the budget for this sector.

At the aggregate level, PRSP expenditures deviated downward by 4.77 per cent as compared to original budgetary allocations which indicate under-utilisation of budgetary allocations.

The report says that abnormal spending has been observed in Peoples’ Works Programme.

Link: http://www.dawn.com/2011/01/07/allocations-for-education-health-sectors-low-report.html

50pc children out of school in 4 districts

Source: The Nation

Date: January 6, 2011

ISLAMABAD - In four districts of Multan, Muzaffargarh, Rahim Yar Khan and Rajanpur more than 50 per cent children of the total population of 5 to 9 years are out of school and the number of out of school children is higher for girls than boys. 

This was revealed in a research report “Education Budget Analysis: Five Districts of Southern Punjab” by Oxfam GB in collaboration with Institute of Social and Policy Science (I-SAPS). The report provides detailed analysis and findings of the educational data and budget of selected districts from southern Punjab including Multan, Muzaffargarh, Rahim Yar Khan, Jhang and Rajanpur. 

The report indicates missing facilities especially in girls’ schools, for instance, in Multan at primary level 20 per cent girls’ schools do not have drinking water facility and 13 per cent girls’ primary schools are without toilets. 

The data indicates that in 53 per cent of the total schools in the districts do not have electricity and overall 6 per cent schools have dangerous buildings and 18 per cent of school buildings require major repairs. 

For more details: http://www.nation.com.pk/pakistan-news-newspaper-daily-english-online/Regional/Islamabad/06-Jan-2011/50pc-children-out-of-school-in-4-districts

 

The question of leadership

The following article  “The question of leadership” by Salman Abid, source “The News-Sunday, January 02, 2011”.

 

Politicians, it seems, are not hesitant in exposing themselves one more time.

The question whether Pakistan’s leaders believe in democratic values and practices is perhaps not very difficult to answer, especially after the recent no-holds-barred fight between politicians from the PML-N and MQM, we now know quite well. The gap between leaders, workers and common people is widening by every day passing and all of them seem to be living a life in isolation.

In the backdrop of WikiLeaks, the credibility of our political and military leadership is being discussed seriously in the country and outside. Not one political and military leader has denied the stories of WikiLeaks .On the contrary, they are trying to justify their own actions. Most of the people do not have any doubt about the role of our leaders.

The information disclosed by WikiLeaks is not new because mostly people are aware of the American role in our politics. The alarming and shocking news was the role of United State’s ambassador in the political management through discussion and consultation with our government and state representatives and political and military leaders, all following diligently the guidelines form the United State. These notes actually reflect our real leadership’s character, where they stand to defend democratic norms and values.

Unfortunately, the military regimes, especially that of General Ziaul Haq and his de-politicisation agenda created negative implications for our political process. We can criticise political leaders for their strategies and actions but by no means should we challenge their political commitment for change. The larger political movements of political activists over the few decades in the country brought change and that was remarkable.

Political dynamics of the day are based on power politics. Most of leaders seem to have lost belief in mass mobilization and people’s empowerment and have developed strong linkages with the establishment forces. WikiLeaks, similarly, reflects actions of our major political and others forces.

The whole political scenario from 2006 to 2010 proves that both national and international ‘establishment forces’ as we may call them, wield real power in politics. Our political leadership’s role, some argue, is only to facilitate and accept their dictated agenda. No real resistance, it has been observed by some critics, has come from political forces against dictatorship and international interventions.

Issue-based politics and leadership role is to strengthen each other and create space to work together. But what we are doing is totally opposite as some of our leaders are just focusing on their own agenda and personal interests at the expense of national interests.

Unfortunately, in the past, our leadership has come through the backdoor and not through the political process and people’s support. Since the political parties are weak and anyone can intervene easily within their framework, the threat is not only from internal forces but also from external forces’ intervention and the intention of capturing the decision-making process of political parties.

It’s very easy to criticise the external forces and ignore the question why we are allowing them space? We should openly admit the major crises that we presently have. Since our political system is largely based on individuals, and not on political institutions, our leadership is not accountable at any stage. Our leadership knows very well where the ‘intervention’ can be utilized to getting support. When a leadership behaves in undemocratic manner then obviously it affects the whole party and its structure.

Another vital question is how our political leadership can be held accountable? If the leadership comes with public and party support then we can achieve something in a better way. The intelligentsia can play a very significant role in democratisation of the society. Here, again, the major problem is that some of our intellectuals are affiliated with some individuals and their party and do not openly criticise undemocratic attitude and behaviours due to favouritism and personal interest. This does not augur well at a time when the country faces serious crises in the shape of the war on terror, bad governance, poor economic situation, and social and economic disparities, etc. As a nation, we expect from our leadership and their agenda to be based on peoples’ needs. Unfortunately, there are some who justify the current leadership role and their actions. They insist the practice of politics and their realties are different as compared to the bookish knowledge of politics in academic discourse.

The popular leadership has played its cards well for getting into the corridors of power like MQM and JUI, with the government and state forces. At this critical juncture, we need to insist politics and their leadership should be fair, accountable, transparent, and behave according to democratic norms. These values are very important and without these we cannot strengthen the democratic leadership in the country. So, we should be able to come out of the game of power politics and challenge the current practices of leadership in the name of democracy. One thing that also needs to be realized is the role of the political workers in the country to evaluate the internal leadership crisis and then re-define their own role in politics.

The writer is a political analyst and human rights campaigner. He can be reached at salmanabidpk@gmail.com

Link: http://www.jang.com.pk/thenews/jan2011-weekly/nos-02-01-2011/pol1.htm#8